


It's a Game of Trades

by that_gay_mess



Series: Vent Fics [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Human Sides, Trans Male Character, Trans!Virgil, binding, tw?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:27:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21926692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/that_gay_mess/pseuds/that_gay_mess
Summary: Virgil Johnson had recently found a trick to start binding. It wasn't the safest way, but it was the only way he had, so of course he was going to use it.His friend Thomas, however... had other thoughts.
Series: Vent Fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1579087
Comments: 5
Kudos: 82





	It's a Game of Trades

**Author's Note:**

> This is another vent post instead of finishing my stories lol.
> 
> Taken (mostly) from a true and recent experience.

Virgil Johnson was his preferred name. He'd attempted to tell his parents a few times that he wasn't Violet anymore, but they refused to listen.

Any time he brought up a binder or a haircut, they screamed at him - which sent him to his room in tears.

After struggling for months to get his parents to buy him a binder, he'd found a way to bind without them knowing and without asking a friend to buy a binder for him.

_That would be selfish, and that is the last thing I want to be_ , was his constant train of thought.

Sure, it wasn't the safest way to bind, and probably would be a little painful, but it couldn't possibly be that bad, could it?

Plot twist: it could.

He struggled for an hour to get the bandages to wrap around tight enough to actually bind anything and eventually gave up. He was in tears, frustrated that it wouldn't work as easily as it had appeared to others. 

He decided that maybe a break would help him. Clear his head, wipe away his tears, and try again later.

* * *

He came back to the bandages an hour later and got them to wrap correctly the first time. He excitedly told one of his close friends, Logan Alexander, that he'd figured it out and they shared their congratulations. Truly, it was a good day.

Virgil spent just over an hour with the bandages wrapped around his chest and at first, he'd been extremely happy and less dysphoric. He'd been having a good time, nearly forgetting he had them on at all.

Then the pain set in.

It started out as a small pain in the middle of his chest; it began to spread, quickly spanning the entire front of his chest. It was getting increasingly hard to breathe, and the pain was becoming unbearable. His family had dragged him into some kind of baking thing involving cookies, but it was hard to focus on those and not on the pain. It was blinding, nothing like he'd ever felt.

As soon as he could, he raced up to his room and unwound the bandages, a wave of air suddenly surging into his chest. It was as though there was a weight lifted from him, which in a way was true.

He spent thirty minutes letting himself breathe normally before making the dumb decision of putting it back on. He then messaged his friend, Thomas Sanders.

From: Virgil

_Hi; how are you?_

He only had to wait a minute for a response.

From: Thomas

_I'm not doing too bad. How are you?_

From: Virgil

_Not too bad, I suppose. I'm in a little bit of pain, but I figured out a way to bind!_

From: Thomas

_That's good! Did your parents finally let you get a binder?_

From: Virgil

_No... and it's not the most effective or advised way, but it works._

From: Thomas

_You're not using ace bandages, are you?_

From: Virgil

_Yeah..._

This wasn't good. Thomas was going to get mad at him. He was gonna stop talking to him, and Virgil was going to lose a friend because of a stupid decision. He began to hyperventilate and show signs of a beginning anxiety attack when he got a response.

From: Thomas

_Virge, that's not safe. You know that - I know you've done the research._

From: Virgil

_I know..._

From: Thomas

_I know you want to bind, and I understand that, but please don't use bandages. Those are so dangerous._

He knew that was coming, and yet it still stung.

From: Virgil

_How am I supposed to pass?! This is the only thing I've got going for me right now!_

From: Thomas

_Hey, I know it's upsetting. Take a deep breath. I promise we'll figure something out, just please don't use bandages to bind._

He followed Thomas's one instruction and calmed himself.

From: Virgil

_Alright..._

From: Thomas

_Thank you._

He closed his phone and unwound the bandages wrapped tightly around his chest. He took a deep breath and, to his despair, he felt better. He was frustrated, but he knew Thomas was right. It was definitely safer to just wait for an actual binder.

It would just be a painful wait.

**Author's Note:**

> Long story short, if you're going to use ace bandages to bind, be extremely careful.
> 
> (It hurts like all get out. Please be safe.)


End file.
